Gen Y Boots Gen X's Pessimism Out the Door

Optimism seems to shine far and wide among the teens in comparison to their pessimistic Gen X predecessors. A recent compilation of studies by the Magazine Publishers Association focusing on the 12-17 demo and including information from MRI, Yankelovich and Teen Research Unlimited revealed many obvious findings but found teens to be quite tech and marketing savvy. While they don't control the household budget, they are sought out by their clueless parents for advice on technology related purchases.

In terms of marketing and advertising, the report says they "want and expect to have control over their media experiences." and show a "sincere desire to purchase products from companies that have a social conscience."

With the study being sponsored by the MPA, the study found, to no surprise, eight out of ten teens are reading teen and adult magazines. Even more unsurprisingly, newspaper readership was not surveyed in the study either - not that they would have fared very well.